Synopsis

While searching an abandoned French farm house, Saunders takes a moment to play a
record from home on a hand-crank phonograph. Germans burst in and take him prisoner. He is
transported with four other prisoners including a French civilian, Andre Mallott. The
resistance intercepts the truck, kills the Germans and frees the prisoners.

Mallott stops at a French tavern to obtain gas for the return to Paris. But no gas
without ration books. An attractive French woman, Annette, who is stranded in the town,
overhears his predicament and offers him her coupons if he will transport her. En route to
Paris she is horrified to discover she is aiding an escape. At the next stop the Germans
kill Mallott. Saunders convinces the unwilling Annette to continue to the rendezvous in
Paris. Against her better judgement, Annette is convinced to take one prisoner into hiding
in her home until transport is arranged.

She takes Saunders to her home, and soon a German officer knocks at the door. It is
Annette's lover, Kurt. He brings her soap and nylons. She fears he might think that these
gifts are the only reason she cares. Their affection is genuine. For the moments they have
together, there is no war, there is no enemy.

After Kurt leaves, Annette provides dinner for herself and Saunders. Following the
meal, she plays the record for him, a message from his mother and sister. To the gentle
sound of the ballad on side two, Annette and Saunders dance. Kurt returns unexpectedly
after his meeting is cancelled. Kurt is agitated; he knows the war is lost. In this anger,
he notices the English- labeled record on the phonograph. He is suspicious. He plays
Louise's message, and calms; these enemies, he hardly knows them.

Next evening. Saunders is alone in the darkened apartment. The phone rings incessantly.
Finally Annette and Kurt return from their picnic. Kurt goes to clean up and shave while
she answers the phone. It is the resistance; Saunders must join up with them on a boat
leaving Paris soon. Kurt discovers Saunders as he tries to leave. Saunders and Kurt
struggle over the gun. Kurt is killed. Saunders brings Annette with him, not wanting to
leave her for the Gestapo.

Next day, they are met by resistance fighters who separate them into two groups to move
them through the German lines. Without a word to Saunders, Annette walks past him to the
other group.

Next we see Saunders questioned by Doc, Littlejohn, and Caje about his experiences in
Paris. The show ends as Saunders starts his letter home. "Dear Mom and Louise, thanks
for the record ...."

Review

In "Just For
The Record" we see Sergeant Saunders not as the fighting soldier, but as a homesick
young man lost in a foreign land. In the opening scene, Saunders searches a house for
Germans. Everything is quiet "That's where the danger is. In the quiet." Alone,
thinking of home, Saunders does something we rarely see in the series--he lets his guard
down and makes a stupid mistake. When he finds a record player, he forgets the danger and
plays a record from home. The mistake of the homesick boy gets the soldier captured. As
often happens on television, Saunders escapes and finds himself in the hands (and the
spare bedroom) of a beautiful French collaborator.

I adore this
episode. It's on my top ten list. The strong script by William Bast provides ample moments
for actors to shine. In Vic Morrow as "Chip" Saunders, Micheline Presle as
Annette, and Alf Kjellin as Kurt, we have three capable actors who find all the nuances in
these complex, richly-drawn characters. Annette's tragedy is that she is not what she
appears to be. She is not the collaborator motivated by greed or desires for creature
comforts. She is a woman in love. But her devotion to her German lover comes at odds with
her sense of "right" when the fate of an American soldier is placed in her
unwilling hands. Morrow, still new to the Saunders character when this was filmed,
convincingly established the fragile side of this fearsome soldier. The scene where he
listens to the message from his mother and sister is particularly well-performed--subtle
and moving. Alf Kjellin as Kurt makes it apparent why Annette fell in love with this
German invader. As portrayed by Kjellin, Kurt is a man of gentle strength and quiet
resolve--a good soldier and good German, afraid of what lies ahead for his country and
family.

Notes, Oddities, and Bloopers

A few things in this episode that we never see again:

1) Opening narration by Saunders; Morrow doesn't have a flair for the Sam-Spade-type
voiceover. I'm glad this wasn't made a staple of the show.

2)Everyone speaks English, even the Frenchmen when speaking among themselves. I don't mind
this. I can pretend they are speaking their native language (and by the magic of
television I can understand it). This seemed very natural, more natural than the extremes
they go to elsewhere in the series, trying to explain that English is the only language
shared by these characters, that's why they're speaking it among themselves.

Biographical info we learn in this episode: Saunders has a neat Mom, and a younger
sister names Louise (nicknamed "The Brat"); Louise calls Saunders "the
goon" and Mom's nickname for him is "Chip". They're from Cleveland.

This is one of only two times that Saunders' nickname "Chip" is used in the
series. Both times it is used by family members. Despite fan-fiction to the contrary, no
one in the squad ever calls him "Chip."

First appearance of camo helmet.

How did Saunders get the record back? Surely the Germans would have confiscated it when
they arrested him.

[Note: Dick Peabody appears as Littlejohn at end of
episode, but is not in credits.]

Dialog Excerpts

OPENING NARRATION BY SAUNDERS: It's a lonesome war. Today is Sunday. And like any
other day, we search. Squad under strength, so we search alone. Eight men and twenty farms
to search. Quiet, deserted farms. That's where the danger is. In the quiet. Quiet, hidden
danger. Sometimes you get a good one. An empty one ...

SIDE ONE OF THE RECORD: Hello, Chip, it's Mom. I--your sister and I came
downtown and we passed this record place. You know, where you can make a record and send
it to the boys overseas. I should have planned what I was gonna say. I should have written
it down. Your sister and me are all right. Don't you worry about us. I miss you son. We
both do. Sometimes I get to missing you so much I--oh, this thing's no good. I want to ask
you so many questions. How are you? Are you well, dear? Where are you? They censor your
letters now so we never know. Oh, my time's almost up. I--I'm gonna let Louise use the
other side. I'll have to say good-bye now. Take good care of yourself, dear. Write. And
hurry home. God bless you, son.

SIDE TWO OF THE RECORD: Hi! It's the brat. I know you don't want to listen to a
lot of drool from me, so I'll make it short. Any ways, I got something I know you'd rather
hear. This'll really send you. It's the latest hit song here at home. Hugs and kisses,
goon. Come home soon. Bye now. [music ... ]

Annette: And where is your home, Sergeant?
Saunders: Oh, a village you've never heard of. Cleveland.

Related Reading about the French Resistance:

Convoy to Auschwitz: Women of the French Resistanceby Charlotte Delbo, et al (Hardcover -
May 1997)
Translated into English from French.List price $28.95,
check Amazon.com price

Agents for Escape: Inside the French Resistance, 1939-1945by Andre Rougeyron, et al (Hardcover
- January 1996)
Autobiography of a French resistance fighter who worked in Normandy to help with the
Allied invasion. He was captured and sent to Buchenwald concentration camp. Well written
and provides a unique perspective of both the resistance and the high price they paid when
caught.List price $24.95.Check price at Amazon.com

Love in the Tempest of History: A French Resistance Storyby Aude Yung-De Prevaux, et al (Hardcover
- April 2001) At 23 the author discovered the people who raised her were not her parents. Her real
parents were executed by the Nazis when she was just an infant. This story is a daughter's
tribute to brave parents she never knew, documenting their remarkable story as they
resisted the Nazis in France, and gave their lives for liberty.List price $23.00.
Check price at Amazon.com

Resistance and Betrayal: The Death and Life of the
Greatest Hero of the French Resistanceby Patrick Marnham (Hardcover - March
2002) List price $25.95, check
Amazon.com price.

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